Canon EOS 1D Mark IV In Depth Review

Image Quality

Where Nikon decided to leave the D3s unchanged at 12.1 megapixels, Canon did as they often have done recently, and substantially boosted the resolution of the EOS 1D Mark IV to 16.1 from its predecessor’s 10 megapixels. There’s naturally a couple of different philosophies going on here, with Nikon seeking to focus on improving low light performance, and Canon looking to boost resolution, while maintaining a high frame rate, and boosting ISO performance. From our time with both cameras, I can say that both approaches have worked, and the right solution will as always depend on your individual needs. From the Mark IV’s point of view, the boost in resolution and ISO certainly sounds good from a marketing perspective, and fortunately it also looks good from a photographer’s point of view. The Mark IV is able to provide more than enough detail for fairly large prints, I recently got back a number of 16 x 20 prints sent out to Mpix.com and the results were as good as any I’ve seen at this size, and offering more detail than similar prints taken with the Nikon D3s. Clearly resolution has its advantages and it is here that the Mark IV has an edge over the Nikon D3s.

When it comes to low light performance, the Mark IV is one of the best cameras you can buy right now at high ISO, falling short of the Nikon D3s but equal to my eye with the Nikon D3 and D700. Given the smaller sensor and additional megapixels, this is impressive territory to be in, but the Nikon models do have an edge when it comes to types of noise displayed. The Mark IV peppers its higher ISO files with chroma noise, the colored spots that look so unappealing when pixel peeping. The Nikon models remove nearly every trace of chroma noise, instead leaving a much more appealing luminance noise. The differences are noticeable on screen, but less so printed. Still the D3s gets the edge here when it comes to low light performance, by about one stop. In practical usage, ISO 6400 gets near the end of where I’d be comfortable with full size Mark IV files. ISO 12,800 is usable, but it will depend on lighting conditions and subject matter. At ISO 25,600, the Mark IV reaches the limit of what should really be used at all, except in horrifically dire emergencies where ISO 51,200 and the awful ISO 102,400 may just have to do (if greatly reduced in size).

Outside of these specifics, the Mark IV takes highly appealing files, full of detail and sharpness, and ample dynamic range. All sorts of niceties make getting great shots possible including the 63 zone metering system that is linked to the 45 point AF system, and the Auto Lighting Optimizer that really helps to adjust contrast in images for much improved straight-from-camera results. In fact many of the camera’s exposure adjustment settings and the “Picture Styles” have been enhanced for punchier, sharper, better images right of the camera, with the intent of aiding photographers that have workflows/deadlines that don’t allow for post-processing.

ISO Comparisons

Camera set to aperture priority, set to f/8. Noise reduction is disabled and dynamic range enhancers are also disabled. A quick note, I generally run these tests through Adobe’s Lightroom, however the files looked so poor in 2.6, that I instead have used Canon’s included Digital Photo Professional (DPP) for these files. Noise Reduction sliders were adjusted to “0″. Also of note, at times the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV will render a “bad” image at high ISO, a image that will typically have a very heavy cast of yellow, sometimes in a gradient across the image. This can happen for several attempts in a row, it’s odd, but waiting a moment with the camera and then trying again usually alleviates the problem. Use the image below to orient yourself to the positions of the crops, and each crop can be clicked for a 100% view of each crop. The full set of uncropped, full sized ISO samples can be found here. The low light examples are here.

Crop Source

Crop 1

ISO 100	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 51200
ISO 102400

Crop 2

ISO 100	ISO 200
ISO 400	ISO 800
ISO 1600	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 51200
ISO 102400

Low Light Crop Example
Same as crop 2 above but with much less available light.

ISO 1600	ISO 3200
ISO 6400	ISO 12800
ISO 25600	ISO 51200
ISO 102400

Canon EOS 1D Mark IV Digital Camera at B&H Photo Get the Canon EOS 1D Mark IV and support this site at the same time, by making your purchase through the following links at B&H Photo Video. Your purchases there help us continue to provide you with more great content. Camera Body (only) $4999

Continue Reading This Review:

1. Introduction
2. Specifications
3. Camera Design
4. Interface
5. Performance
6. Image Quality
7. Playback and Video
8. Verdict
9. Image Samples

Continue the Discussion

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1. 

   Fils-de-Daguerre says:

   March 3, 2010 at 4:23 pm

   Nice review!

   Now if I can scrape together five grand…

   (Oh yeah, first you gotta get me a 7D ;]…)

   reply
   • 

     Patrick says:

     March 3, 2010 at 5:31 pm

     Thanks,

     How about a guide to using the 7D, would that help? Also should have some comparisons between the T2i, T1i, 7D, and 5DII up tonight or tomorrow. Maybe the T2i works for you?

     reply
     • 

       Fils-de-Daguerre says:

       March 3, 2010 at 5:54 pm

       No. I want something with (pardon the expression) “a bit more body”.

       If I’d be using the basic 18-55 then yeah, the T2i would be better. But I’m planning on using some long lenses (I mostly do zoo and wildlife shots), plus the T2i AF can’t compare.

       I have friends’ fathers that work at B&H, so I can shave off 10% (or it might be 15%) for ya.

       When I make some dengiy I’ll buy you the MacBook.

       reply
       • 

         Patrick says:

         March 4, 2010 at 5:42 pm

         I hear ya, I’ve been walking around with the 70-200mm f/1.8 IS on the T2i, and it looks…well, wrong. And yeah, the grip doesn’t provide the right leverage really for bigger lenses, though the IQ is exactly the same from what I can see.

         reply
         • 

           Fils-de-Daguerre says:

           March 4, 2010 at 9:08 pm

           So I’m getting an EOS 7D with a lens on April 20th, right? From “Patrick Dean”!

           With static subjects, yeah, the IQ should be the same. With moving subjects? T2i burst rate and AF fall short.

           P.S. Where’s this comparison y’promised?
2. 

   Abbas uddin says:

   March 27, 2010 at 4:14 am

   Nice, Camera but I’m using Sony.

   reply
3. 

   Quazi Ahmed Hussain says:

   July 22, 2010 at 12:09 am

   Since Nikon caters to photographers’ needs; they are likely to continue holding their edge over Canon rivals for the foreseeable future. This is mainly because they focus on issues that shooters raise like good AF system, low light performance and IQ. Nikon is the best in all these areas at present. Canon can never catch them unless the high pixel count witch gets off their brains.

   To Nikon’s discredit is the exorbitant price of their high-end pro lenses. Many Canon users can afford and buy some of the “L” lenses at affordable prices that produce excellent results. If Nikon can compete in that area in future; they will hold major share of the DSLR market by a big margin.

   reply
4. 

   Patrick says:

   March 5, 2010 at 5:47 pm

   The 7D is a pretty nice camera, I’ve got one again for a week or so, and I can’t say enough about its ergonomics and performance. Feels great and really blazes with that frame rate.
   The comparison is coming, I’m like half way through making it look good.

   reply
5. 

   Fils-de-Daguerre says:

   March 6, 2010 at 8:11 pm

   So… lemme have one as a birthday gift!

   For my 19th!

   reply